WSJ: Top 50 Cities for Singles Looking for Love

Facebook ranked 50 major cities with the best odds for turning a “Single” status to “In a relationship”

See the BEST CITIES FOR LOVE chart here: http://online.wsj.com/news/interactive/LOVECITIESB20140213?ref=SB10001424052702303704304579378902170592732

Overall, Facebook found that big, cosmopolitan cities with highly educated populations—places like New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami—tend to have the highest percentages of single people. Those cities also tended to have the lowest couples rates.

A lot of cities with high relationship rates are in the South, Mr. Develin notes. Trailing Colorado Springs on the list are El Paso, Texas; Louisville, Ky., Fort Worth, Texas, andSan Antonio.

That was no surprise to Philip Cohen, sociology professor the Maryland Population Research Center at theUniversity of Maryland. The Facebook data says more about the age, ethnic makeup and education levels in those cities than whether they are singles meccas, he says.

He advises people in search of a relationship to go where there are lots of other single people, not where there are high couples rates. “You only need to form one relationship, but you might want a lot of singles to choose from,” he said, in an email.

David Siegel, a 24-year-old violinist, doesn’t fit the stereotype some people may associate with Colorado Springs, where he grew up. He moved back from New York over a year ago. “I’ve found it a good place to be single,” Mr. Siegel says, citing the thriving bars, restaurants and art galleries.

New York’s dating scene was a “rat race,” he says. People in Colorado Springs seem more interested in a lasting relationship. “Playing the game has a lot less do it with it,” he says.